Beer: Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by tone77:

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a black color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of coffee, roasted malts. Taste is roasted malts, light hops, a touch of smokiness, mild and easy drinking. Feels light in the mouth and overall, not a bad beer, but a little less hoppy than I would have liked for this style.

More User Reviews:

Poured into a standard pint glass a deep dark chocolate brown with a half finger beige colored head atop that lasted for quite awhile.Aromas of earth,bitter chocolate,and citric hops,it does smell like a hopped up porter.Roast and earthy notes upfront with mild brown sugar-like sweetness,a shot of pin resin and sharp grapefruit in the finish.Not overly complex but flavorful,this seemed a bit more porter-like than many of the style i have had.

A: A very dark brown with good clarity. The persistant head is made of mousse-like dark tan bubble. The head settles a half a finger of foam leaving a fair amount of lacing on the glass.

S: A strong citrus hops aroma mixed with moderate chocolaty, dark grains aromas. The is a medium-strong herbaceous fresh hopped aroma that mixes very well with the malt and citrus. The hops have a light pineapple note to them. A light floral alcohol sweetness.

T: A strong citrus hops flavor and an agressive hops bitterness. There is a moderate amount of chocolate and coffee flavors with just a slight dark grain bitterness. The balance is pretty bitter even with the medium-low malt bitterness. The finish is off-dry and the aftertaste is of citrus hops bitterness with a bit of dark grain.

M: A medium-full bodied beer with a medium-strong level of carbonation.

O: I don't understand kids today and I still think these Black IPA are just a well hopped, unbalanced Robust Porter. That being said I like the blend of citrus and chocolate/coffee malt with the agressive hops bitterness going on here. The hops get just a tad harsh on the finish which could be reduced by the use of higher alpha hops, not that I'm complaining.

I don't think Smutty makes a bad beer. I've been brewing for over 15 years and I struggle to produce a beer like this. Nice hop character, great lasting dark (cholocate?) malt flavor. This is top notch stuff...and at 5.7 ABV you can have a couple and enjoy them without walking head first into the TV getting up to take a leak at halftime/end of quarter/end of peroid. If you like flavor and well crafted beer grab some of this and enjoy!

Near black, slightly dark even for style, with an above average tan head that leaves a fine coat on the glass when tilted.

Smell is more dark malt than hops, but this tastes like it should: i.e., an IPA with ample dark roasted malts. Unlike the aroma, in tasting these two ingredients mesh better, and are in better balance than in some other black IPAs.

I've had a few Black IPAs before and have never liked them, mainly because they just sort of seemed like porters that for some reason classified themselves as IPAs. However, this one definitely showed me what a Black IPA could be. It was a nicely balanced beer, with a nice roasty base that was complemented nicely by a hoppy kick.

Appearance: Just like the name would suggest, it's pretty black. A relatively thin white head that doesn't leave much lacing.

Smell: Definitely tips you off to the hoppiness. One thing I never liked about other Black IPAs was that the smell was all roast and coffee, there was no hop presence, and this one definitely didn't have that problem. Nice balanced smell of roastiness and hops.

Taste: Complex and awesome. Really well-balanced, with enough hop presence to please any fans of IPAs. Versatile enough to pair well with either a spicy meal or a dessert.

Mouthfeel: A little thin feeling. Decent carbonation, but due to the roasty character of the beer a little more smoothness would be a nice improvement.

Fresh bottle from Premier Gourmet. Spot on black IPA, emphasizing the roast and yet still citrus hop supporting it. Above average mouthfeel. Good drinkability. Not the best black IPA I have had,owing to some burnt parts, still well crafted and worth trying. Dry finish.